Ted Hills

I've recently been browsing through some old photo albums and found several NC works photos of presentations etc. I don't know how to affix photos to messages or even if it is allowed but briefly there's one of Warren Lane tool room Walter Martin foreman, Tommy Richards, Graham Harrison, Eric Bradbury and Ken Bidwell. Another shows Walter Haigh, Ben Morton, Mr. Dorgan? and a crowd of apprentices a few of which I could name taken late 50's-Ted Hills

Hi Bri- certainly remember the boxing Thorpe twins, and that has jogged many more memories about the training school especially at lunch time in the gym. Do you remember Herbert Pinder the foundry instructor playing table tennis with his constant blocking backhand you couldn't get passed him. We used to practice juggling with balls, Indian clubs and anything else and got quite good at it. Also played a form of football where to score a goal the ball had to skim across the line in contact with the floor, I got to be pretty good at this. Happy days- Ted

bri - In an earlier message you mentioned Michael Helliwell I seem to remember him from my time in the training school particularly in the gym at lunch times. He started boxing there under TAK and he also had a brother who did the same. At WL remember one of the bothers marrying one of the girls in the production office typing pool, can't remember her name but the other girl in the office was Elaine I think, When you think these times were 53 years ago it's amazing I can remember anything at all, but it's great to have had some jolts to the grey matter. They were good times mostly. Ted

bri. - What a memory you're bringing it all to life again. When I applied to go in the DO. I did a draftsman's training which included a spell in the training school and then into all three shops ie. foundry and construction. Part of the time in the construction shop was spent in the template shop and by a stroke of luck it was at a time when NC. had got the order to build a boom for the R & R walking drag line in rolled steel sections rather than tubes. There wasn't a parallel section on the whole boom, the foundry pattern shop made wooden models so we could set up intersections and make wooden templates. Then the shop built the boom outside because it was too big to fit in the shop. They certainly did some fantastic work. Thanks for all the names, I wish I'd kept all my copies of the Thorncliffe News. Ted

So you were there at the bitter end bri. that must have been heart breaking, something that had started in 1793 to finish like that, its hard to take in. In hindsight it was a great place to work for, the training was second to none as I discovered in all the other jobs I had including a spell at Rolls Royce until they crashed in '71. I was lucky whenever I was made redundant I always found a job straight away.You're right about the extended family and great characters I have nothing but good memories about the whole thing. I often wonder why the whole thing collapsed though, surely something could have been salvaged, but on second thoughts most large engineering companies have gone to the wall not being able to compete with the Far East so perhaps it was inevitable, still sad though. What are you doing now? Ted

bri bloomer- you filled in a few names I've been struggling to recall like Graham Blackburn from the firefighting team and Ken Bidwell who got saddled with Biddle until he strongly objected, of course it was Bernard I must have had a mental blockage, I've just thought of a Clive in the tool room who sold me his rather fine Ellis Briggs racing bike. Do you remember Mavis in the machine shop office, she really was quite a girl. I must confess I'm struggling to place you, were you the weight lifting idiot who manhandled the blank shafts from the storage rack into the machine to save on waiting for the crane? You said you knew my brother David but sadly what you wouldn't know is that he died of bowel cancer in April '04. He set himself up as a freelance gardener after he left NC and did OK at it until '03 when he had to give it up.For some life just aint fair. Ted Hills

Thanks for stirring up the old memory box bri bloomer as I started at NC in 1954 and finished up in Warren Lane initially as an apprentice machinist under Albert Wragg our paths must have crossed at some point. I moved into the tool room under Walter Martin and remember Charlie Jordon who during the lunch break would cut your hair behind the tall tool stores, Graham Harrison is another name I remember but the others need more prizing out, was Albert the drill sharpener? trying to recall the young man with polio in the wheelchair who inspected and set up all the gauges, I used to push him out to his invalid vehicle parked at the back of the factory every day so I should remember but its gone. You mention M Greensmith I wonder if this was Maurice who I remember well from the Thornclife firefighting team events, now that really was something else. I finished up in the Jig & Tool drawing office about 58/59 before doing National Service in RAF from 60-62. then continued in D.O. until I left in about '66. Certainly happy days. Ted Hills

I have the fondest of memories of being involved in many of the groups which met at St. J & St. C like scouts, youth club, Sunday School, servers, choir and the mens' working group. What a hive of activity it was. Remember I joined the choir whilst still at school and continued when I started work at Newton Chambers. There were choir practices for the boy trebles led by the choir master Mr. Turner who travelled everywhere by bus and he lived in Ecclesfield. I'm trying to recall one of the choir members who I think was called Malcolm Brothers who had a voice to die for, think he may have been a boy suprano?he was also handsome and was quite a pull with the girls. Happy days Ted Hills

Responding to Sparkyfred : Assuming I started my schooling at 5 yrs. that would be 1944whilst the war still raged and I'm pretty sure about the tiered floor, maybe there was a major refurbishment to upgrade after I left in '46. Ted Hills

Re: tiered classrooms- probably spelt in wrong (not one of my strong points) I ment that the floor level of the room was like a theatre or lecture theatre with the desks on platforms which were higher at the back of the room. So if your desk was at the back of the class you would be looking down at the teacher. One of my vivid memories of those times was being chased after school by the infamous kettle gang, I was terrified, but I must have been a fast runner because I gave them the slip, but it certainly stuck in my memory. Ted Hills

Well done jjbarnesfan with Beck Road teachers names-I just about recall Head Mr. Churchward and Mrs. Wood but considering I was only there for a year that's amazing. I had started infant school in Wincobank at the school on Newman Road, which I can still remember with its tiered classrooms and elderly lady teachers with white hair tied back in a bun and wearing long skirts. After the war we moved to Shiregreen and registered at Beck Road. I don't recall any bad experiances from those days and the envionment was clean with plenty of wide open spaces to let your imagination roam freely. Ted Hills

Thanks clown for reminding me of the teachers names I've been trying to recall them for long enough. The one in particular I wanted was a Miss Haslam who I have fond memories of because after a story telling session she announced that I was the best listener and presented me with the book she had been reading from, she must have had a soft spot for me! Seem to recall she got married whilst we were with her.Happy days. Ted Hills

Reading through all our previous messages you might well think that the times and place we lived in were idyllic but we tend to remember the good times and forget the bad. There was one incident whilst I was at the Beck Road junior school around 1948-50 which shows a different side and illustrates that there are always going to be exceptions to the norm. At one of the break times we were all in the play ground playing football etc. when a fight started and one boy drew a knife from his pocket and started to attack another boy. He didn't get very far though because quick as a flash Mr. Ellis and Mr. Midgley? shot out and chased him onto the grassed area and rugby tackled him to the ground then frog marched him to the headmasters office. Maybe this kind of thing happened more frequently than we think because within minutes we were all playing again as if nothing had happened. Was the headmaster Mr. Hanford and the only one with a car? All the other teachers came by bus. Ted Hills

Donnay-Yes I remember Mr. Webb very well, I too was in the choir for a good spell before becoming a server under Philip Rogers and then got very involved in the Youth Club. One clear memory of Mr. Webb was whilst I was in hospital having my appendix out he came to visit me and made me laugh so much that I cried out with pain from the stitches pulling. Also knew the Pinder family and that wise philosopher Mr. Littlewood. As for amateur dramatics, different groups put on some really superb shows, I know the youth club did. Looking back those were exciting, character forming years and it was a privilege to have been part of it. Ted Hills

Having been 'off line' for some time I've missed out on all fascinating stories that this site opens up, its constantly full of surprises. Earlier Susan Edwards & John Clapham mentioned Beck Road School and some of the teachers especially a Miss Hawks who I have painfull memories of. After one of the morning assemblies about 6 of us were told to report to Miss Hawks room where she laid into us about not closing our eyes during the saying of prayers and we all got both hands painfully caned. I must have been 8/9 years old and I remember being close to tears not from the pain but from the injustice, if I had been brave enough I would have asked her how she could have seen we didn't have our eyes closed if she was praying properly! but of course nobody challenged teachers in those days and it did toughen you up for all the unfairness you would face in later life, so I don't think of her with any malice but I sure remember it. Ted Hills